Solar System Exploration Division

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

Class:

Flight Project

Status:

Operational

Organizations:

Launch Date:

December 2021

WEBSITE:

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large space observatory that will operate in an orbit some 1 million miles from Earth. JWST will find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way Galaxy. It will also peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own solar System. Webb's instruments are designed to work primarily in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, with some capability in the visible range. The observatory was launched on Dec 25, 2021.

Key Staff
    artist's conception of JWST in space